Lionel Messi was sidelined for Inter Miami’s goalless draw with Orlando City this midweek, but the Herons’ head coach is hopeful the forward can return this weekend.
Inter Miami boss Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino says he intends to bring Lionel Messi back into his team for this weekend’s MLS clash with DC United, but will make a final decision on the superstar forward’s fitness in the coming days.
What injury does Messi have?
Messi sat out Miami’s match-up with Florida rivals Orlando City yesterday, having sustained a knee knock in the Herons’ win over Montréal last Saturday. In the eight-time Ballon d’Or’s absence, Miami were held to a 0-0 draw by at Inter&Co Stadium, ending a run of five straight league wins.
“[Messi] was carrying a bit of a niggle,” Martino told reporters after the stalemate in Orlando. “He trained every day [in the lead-up to the game], following a routine he had agreed on with the coaching staff and the club’s medical team, so as to take good care of the knee he had taken a blow to in the previous game. He was concerned, he went through some tests, and the results were very positive.
“But the fact is that he felt some pain in his movements and, given that we’re on a run of three games in the space of a week, we felt the most sensible thing to do was leave him out of today’s game. The plan is that he’ll play on Saturday, but it’s going to depend on how he progresses. We’re not going to take any risks, and on Thursday and Friday we’ll assess his fitness.”
“We don’t have the same ability on the ball in the final third”
After watching his side draw a blank in front of goal for the first time in 10 games in all competitions, Martino added that Miami missed Messi’s attacking creativity against Orlando. “When Leo isn’t playing, we don’t have the same ability on the ball in the final third of the pitch,” he said.
“That’s a problem that Inter Miami have today, and that Barcelona had 10 years ago. Today we missed that ability that he has, but we were a well organised team and circulated the ball well.”
What are Messi’s stats in MLS in 2024?
Since missing four MLS games through injury in March, Messi has scored seven goals and supplied eight assists in the North American league, taking his tally in the division this season to 10 goals and 11 assists in nine appearances. The 36-year-old was named MLS’s Player of the Month for April.
Miami currently lead the MLS Eastern Conference standings by one point, ahead of a Cincinnati side that has played one game fewer.